Summarized from Wikipediathanks! Acanalso known as balche; Acan is the Mayan god of wine Acerglyna combination of honey and maple syrup Bochetthe honey is caramelized before adding water Braggotfrom the Welsh bragawd; originally honey brewed with hops, later with malt and optional hops Black meadhoney blended with blackcurrants CapsicumelMead flavored with chiles Chouchenna cool mead brewed in Brittany, France CyserHoney and apple juice that have been fermented CzworniakPolish mead variety; three parts water, Local TV Channels, one part honey DandaghareNepalese mead with Himalayan herbs and spices DwojniakPolish mead variety; one part water, one part honey Great meadmead (intended to be) aged for several years Gvercalso medovina; Croatian mead variety HydromelFrench name for mead from the Greek “honey-water”; very low-alcohol MedicaSlovenian/Croatian mead variety MedovukhaSlavic variant MyodTraditional Russian mead Melomelmade from honey and any fruit; includes cyser, morat, pymentMetheglinSpiced mead originally used as folk medicines MidusLithuanian mead made with berry juice MoratMead made with mulberries Mulsuma pseudo-mead, made by blending unfermented honey and high-alcohol wine Omphacomelmedieval mead made with verjuice (acidic juice from unripe grapes) Oxymelmedieval mead made with wine vinegar PitarrillaMayan mead similar to balchePymentmead made from honey and red or white grapes (white mead) Pó?toraka Polish great mead; one unit water, two units honey Rhodomelhoney blended with rose hips and petals and/or rose attar and water Sack meadmead with high relative density and increased sweetness due to increased amounts of honey Short meadalso quick mead; recipe meant to age quickly Show meadplain mead; honey and water with no added flavorings SimaFinnish low-alcoholic mead seasoned with lemon TejEthiopian mead fermented with wild yeast and blended with gesho, an African shrub TrojniakPolish mead variety; two units water, one unit honey Then, of course, there’s the famous mead of poetry from Norse mythology. This mead has a very specific recipe, and to my knowledge has only been made once, after the Æsir-Vanir War when the gods sealed their truce by spitting in a vat. The story is mentioned in our article “Mead: a god-given gift.” After the creation, the dwarves who killed Kvasir, the first man, also murdered a giant named Gilling, as well as the giant’s distraught wifesounds like the dwarves had some issues to work out. However, when Gilling’s son Suttungr came calling, the dwarves threw in the towel and gave Suttungr the famous mead, which he gave to his daughter Gunnlod to guard. Odin, disguised as Bölverk, later stole the mead away, but accidentally dropped some during his escape. This presumably foreshadowed the mead we love and enjoy today.

Mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages known. Essentially, it is fermented honey, but it also can be much more than “only” fermented honey. Mead is expensive to buy, and given the issues our honeybees have been experiencing in the past few years, honey can be rather pricey in a chain supermarket as well. Those living closer to where beekeepers live and package their local honey can find Internet research to be quite slow if they also are beyond the reaches of DSL or cable service. Online research is much easier with a high speed internet service. If you’re in a rural area you can get fast internet from satellite providers such as provided at wildbluedeals.com/”>wildbluedeals.com. Access to local honey and access to effective searching allows the hobbyist mead brewer to simply enjoy the hobby – and its results.

In its most basic form, mead is a fermented blend of four parts water to one part honey – i.e., one gallon of water to one quart (32 ounces) of honey. To this the brewer adds yeast and keeps the fermentation process under control for several weeks, periodically transferring the in-process mead to a new bottle to separate the mixture from the old yeast that falls out to the bottom of the bottle. Flavors can be introduced at the beginning of the brewing process, bringing citrus, cinnamon, vanilla or other flavors to the finished mead product.

Mead brewing requires little specialized equipment. Much of what the hobbyist needs can be found at home, and the rest is readily available online like at beerdude.com. I’m a fan of that site because of its no-frills approach and the fact that I use up a lot of my bandwidth allotment on youtube videos.

Mead is a delicious and wonderful wine that is made from honey instead of grapes and is very easy to make. However, you’d have to purchase few items like glass carboy and airlock for getting started.Ingredients that you will have to purchase from the market:One Gallon Spring Water A bag of balloons large enough to stretch over the mouth of jugA box of raisinsOne packet of Fleishmann’s YeastThree pounds honey that is pure and unprocessedOne Orange

Process:

Pour half of water in the container and slice up orange and put these slices, 25 raisins, (more…)

Mead-making was once a commonly-known practice, but today is regarded as an art form. While not exactly a crowded field, many meaderies have distinguished themselves as modern masters. If you ever get the chance to stop by one of these sites, take it, and experience a drink that has thrilled mankind for millennia.Redstone Meadery: Redstone shares its locationBoulder, Coloradowith the site of the Mazer Cup International, the annual mead competition. The meadery has placed in many awards competitions, including the 2006 International Mead Festival, the 2005 Colorado State Fair, and the 2004 Colorado Mountain Wine Festival. Founder David Myers opened Redstone back in 2000 and today runs it with his wife Madoka. (more…)

The first mead was discovered as a natural phenomenon, probably by bush cultures in Africa. Over the years, different groups have made their own legends surrounding the creation of the honeyed beverage. One of the most interesting originated in the proto-Norse culture. Their explanation was tied in to the story of the first man, Kvasir, who was formed when the gods and goddesses ended years of warfare by spitting in a jar. The result of this mystical expectoration turned out to have all the wisdom of the nine Norse worlds. Kvasir was eventually killed by two dwarves, who added honey to his blood (if you saw that coming, congratulations). This was the first mead, which granted Kvasir’s wisdom and powers of poetry to anyone who drank it. Now who said the ancient Norsemen didn’t have a soft side?

The fact that the Mazer Cup International, the world’s premier mead competition, can still be held regularly is due to generous sponsors. GotMead.com is one of the largest of these, and is definitely the mead community’s favorite internet resource. Members of the community interact regularly on the Discussion Boards, exchanging recipes, tips, favorite ingredients, and more.Newcomers to the world of mead making are welcome to jump in feet-first and get started interacting with fellow fans. GotMead.com also features plenty of reference information to help out the man or woman off the street. According to their home page, it’s possible to go from zero to hero and produce your first batch of mead in just over two months. (more…)

As with any hobby, there are a number of how-to books on the “art of mead-making.” That term signifies the complexity of the skillwhile it’s important to follow a basic set of directions, it’s equally important for true artists to put their own spin on it. Thankfully, there are several guides that will lead the prospective mead-maker to a place where they feel comfortable experimenting with their finished product.

The Compleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm: Schramm has created a truly extensive handbook that runs only a little over 200 pages. The majority of the book is devoted to the actual process and ingredients that go into the perfect batch of mead, including “Yeast and Fermentation,” “Conditioning, Aging, and Using Oak,” “All About Honey,” “Fruit and Melomel,” and more. Published in 2003, the book still holds up today. (more…)